Centre Andrew Ebbett has shown enough resiliency and resolve after an injury-plagued season with the Vancouver Canucks to warrant a roster spot once the lockout ends. (Jeff Vinnick photo Getty Images via National Hockey League).

VANCOUVER — It’s a playoff-style beard, one so broad and thick it suggests that Andrew Ebbett is in the trenches of a postseason war. After all, it looks like a shag rug that someone tugged at in a tussle, like something that would even make beard-growing champion Shea Weber envious.

In a way, these are the playoffs for Ebbett. With the NHL lockout wiping out games through November, the versatile centre has to find added motivation with the Chicago Wolves. The perfect scenario could have played out with the Vancouver Canucks had the season started on time. Shoulder and wrist surgeries have Ryan Kesler sidelined until January and there’s a third-line void with the departures of Cody Hodgson and Samme Pahlsson that Jordan Schroeder will get a chance to fill. However, it’s not a stretch to suggest that Maxim Lapierre might be the best second-line line fix and that coach Alain Vigneault could work Chris Higgins, Manny Malhotra and Ebbett into his centre-ice mix.

“I just try to not focus on it,” said Ebbett, whose one-year, two-way deal that pays $600,000 US at the NHL level and $300,000 in the minors made him AHL eligible. “I’ve learned being on a few different teams that if you can be that versatile guy and play different positions — like the power play or penalty kill — that coaches like those guys and they want to keep you around a little longer.”

At the very least, that would make the 29-year-old Ebbett valuable as the extra forward, but he’s aiming higher. Despite playing just 18 games last season because of a broken foot and collarbone, two of his five goals were game-winners. Ebbett played wing with Henrik Sedin and Alex Burrows while Daniel Sedin was concussed and he anchored the second power-play unit. You’d think that versatility has the crafty 5-foot-9, 175 pounder thinking he’ll have a leg up on a starting roster spot should the season not be lost to the lockout.

“Maybe in my first couple of years I’d be doing that,” said Ebbett. “There are still guys out there who stare at lineup charts all summer. But I just want to come back focused and wherever they want to play me, I’m happy to do that. I think I’ve still got a lot of gas left in the tank.”

That says something. The crunching blow he absorbed from Dennis Seidenberg on Jan.7 in Boston could have been a career-ender. Five weeks of inactivity and then arduous rehab to return March 31 against Calgary and score the game-winning goal impressed. The resolve isn’t lost on the organization.

“I’ve been traded and gone back and forth with teams (Phoenix, Minnesota, Chicago, Anaheim) and wanted to stay where I felt comfortable and the coaches were comfortable with me,” stressed Ebbett. “You don’t have to make that first impression and they know what they’re getting from me. It was huge. I didn’t play much, but they made me feel like a big part of the team.”

As the second-oldest member of the Wolves, Ebbett sat out Sunday in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins — Andrew Gordon and Kevin Connauton had the Wolves goals — because of the veterans’ rule. Of 18 skaters, at least 13 must be designated as development players who have played 260 or fewer regular-season professional games and one player with 320 or fewer pro games. That has made Ebbett think of staying in the game as a future coach and passing on the tutelage he got from Red Berenson, who guided 20 NHL players at the university level in Michigan.

“He always makes sure I talk to him a couple of times each summer to make sure I have a plan for when I’m not playing,” said Ebbett. “I think I’ve got a few more years left in me and that [coaching] would be something I’d look forward to. He [Berenson] was the best motivator I ever had and knew how to get guys going. He doesn’t treat everybody the same, he looks a personalities and treats them like pros. That’s why you see so many guys from Michigan in the NHL these days. A lot of credit goes to him.”

And to Ebbett, who found a way to stay relevant and play 163 career NHL regular-season games.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the “X” in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

101 Greatest Canucks

The Province and its panel of experts have identified the 101 greatest Canucks of all time. See their choices!